John i



D BUTTER.

Cases for Exhibiting Spools Patented Feb. 11,1873;

sis PROCESS.)

AM PHOTO-LITHOGRAPIIIC Cfl N)f(0880RN Wham;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN J). CUTTER, OF BROOKLYN, NEXV YORK.

IMPROVEMENT lN CA SES FOR EXHIBITING SPOOLS.

Specification forming part of Lettcrs Patent No. 135,782, dated February 11, 1873.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Jonn D. German, of the city of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented cort-ain Improvements in Spool-Exhibitors for Displaying Spool-Silk and other Thread or Material, of which the following is a specification:

My invention relates to that description of spool-exhibitors in which the spools, on being introduced within the case, roll by gravity to their places, one behind the other, to

*ard the front of the case, and-are more or less seen one behind the other by reason of the inclined surfaces on which they rest. The invention consists in a combination of side tracks or rails for the heads of the spools to rest and run upon, whereby, as'compared with an inclined plane or surface arranged to support the filled spools throughout their length, chafing and soiling of the spooled silk is prevented. The invention also consists in a concentric or equivalently-curved arrangement of tracks or ways for the spools, whereby the spools are entered from the front or on the same side of the case as that on which the advance spools are exposed for exhibition. Furthermore, the invention consists in abreak, cavity, or pocket made in the ways or tracks at their lower forward ends to receive the advance spool of a row of spools, and so that the weight of the spools in the rear of it press down upon said advance spool to hold it inplace instead of pressing against or under it to jump it out of place. I

In the accompanying drawing, which forms part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a front elevation of a spool-exhibitor constructed in accordance with my invention, and Fig. 2 a vertical section of the same on line w 00.

Similar letters of reference indicate corre sponding parts. 1

A is the case, which may be constructed to accommodate any desired number of vertical rows of spools by means of the sides of the case and intervening parallel partitions b b forming spool-passages B B. Said case may, if desired, be glazed in the rear, as shown, to admit of light through the case when the latter is not intended to be placed against a .11; but this is not important, so far as the its of my invention are concerned. It also may be provided with a glazed lid or door in front, which latter is preferably set inclining backwardly in an upward direction.

Furthermore, the case may be extended to accommodate any number of rolls of spools, one above the other as well as side by side; but it will suffice here to show a single set of vertical and parallel spool-passages. Each of these spool-passages B is provided with side rails or tracks 0 (J, which serve to support the spools D by their heads (I d that rest or run upon said rails, thus relieving the body of silk between the heads from contact with any surface calculated to soil or chafe the silk. The rails O G, of which there may be any number in each passage B arranged one behind the other, are of a concentric or curved. construct-ion, terminating at their two ends, the one above and the other below, in front of the case.

By this construction or arrangement of the spool tracks 0 O the spools may be entered from or through the front of the case between the upper ends of the tracks, and will be caused by their gravity and the pressure of the spools, one behind the other, to roll toward the lower ends of the tracks also in front of the case.

To prevent the advance spool in each row from being jumped or pressed out of the front of the case by the succeeding spools, the tracks 0 O are formed with pockets or breaks g near their forward lower ends to partly re ceive the advance spool down within them, whereby the spool immediately in the rear presses upon such advance spool above its center, as it were, or, in other words, bears down upon the advance spool to'keep or hold it in place, as clearly shown by dotted lines y g in Fig. 2, till it is necessary to remove the advance spool, when the one next in rear of it takes its place.

hat is here claimed, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is

1. The case A of a spool-exhibitor constructed or provided with rails or tracks for the heads of the spools to run upon, substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

2. The semicircular rails or tracks 0 C- an ranged to terminate in front of the case A, both above and below, essentially as and for the purposes described.

3. The pockets or breaks 9 in the spool ways or tracks 0 O at the forward lower ends of the latter, substantially as specified.

YVitnesses: J OHN D. (BUTTER.

MICHAEL RYAN, FRED. Harries. 

